Mumbai: Airlines are cashing in on the Chennai catastrophe. With the Chennai airport inundated, thousands of stranded passengers have been making their way to Bengaluru, only to be fleeced by domestic carriers. On Thursday, domestic air fares out of Bengaluru were so high that flights from there to foreign destinations like Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok were cheaper than the ones to cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Indore. By road, Bengaluru is only about five-and-a-half hours from Chennai and is the closest major airport to the city, making it the most preferred airport for people stranded there. This has also made flights leaving the airport cash cows for airlines. The 105-year old Chennai airport handles an average %of 340 flights a day, out of which 240 are domestic arrivals and departures — operated by eight Indian carriers — or about 120 domestic departures a day.
On a regular day, about 10,000 domestic passengers fly out of Chennai. With the airport closed %for two days, the Chennai load is largely being borne by %the Bengaluru airport, which handles an average of %175 domestic airline departures daily. On Thursday evening, domestic airfares for Friday departures out of Bengaluru reached a record high, especially on flights to Delhi and Ahmedabad (see box).
At 6 pm, the cheapest one-way Friday fare on the Bengaluru-Delhi route was Rs 24,000 (offered by SpiceJet). It climbed to Rs 28,200 by 8pm. In comparison, fares on Bengaluru-Kuala Lumpur Friday flights started at Rs 16,000 and those to Bangkok at Rs 20,000.
GoAir and Air India had priced their Bengaluru-Delhi one-way tickets at Rs 25,000 and Rs 28,000 respectively. Flights to Mumbai were cheaper at Rs 19,000 for a one-way fare. Low-cost carrier AirAsia had priced Bengaluru-Jaipur one-way fare at Rs 12,600, which made it one of the cheapest flights out of the southern city to the north of India.
The fare on a Bengaluru-Ahmedabad non-stop, one-way flight started at Rs 21,000 and was being offered by low-cost carrier Air Costa. Among the worst was a Rs-56,000 one-way fare on a Jet Airways Bengaluru-Delhi-Indore flight. The Bengaluru-Kolkata one-way fare for a Friday flight was Rs 28,500, while the fare on the Kochi-Kolkata route was Rs 13,200.
04/12/15 Manju V/Times of India
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On a regular day, about 10,000 domestic passengers fly out of Chennai. With the airport closed %for two days, the Chennai load is largely being borne by %the Bengaluru airport, which handles an average of %175 domestic airline departures daily. On Thursday evening, domestic airfares for Friday departures out of Bengaluru reached a record high, especially on flights to Delhi and Ahmedabad (see box).
At 6 pm, the cheapest one-way Friday fare on the Bengaluru-Delhi route was Rs 24,000 (offered by SpiceJet). It climbed to Rs 28,200 by 8pm. In comparison, fares on Bengaluru-Kuala Lumpur Friday flights started at Rs 16,000 and those to Bangkok at Rs 20,000.
GoAir and Air India had priced their Bengaluru-Delhi one-way tickets at Rs 25,000 and Rs 28,000 respectively. Flights to Mumbai were cheaper at Rs 19,000 for a one-way fare. Low-cost carrier AirAsia had priced Bengaluru-Jaipur one-way fare at Rs 12,600, which made it one of the cheapest flights out of the southern city to the north of India.
The fare on a Bengaluru-Ahmedabad non-stop, one-way flight started at Rs 21,000 and was being offered by low-cost carrier Air Costa. Among the worst was a Rs-56,000 one-way fare on a Jet Airways Bengaluru-Delhi-Indore flight. The Bengaluru-Kolkata one-way fare for a Friday flight was Rs 28,500, while the fare on the Kochi-Kolkata route was Rs 13,200.
04/12/15 Manju V/Times of India
